Wait For It
by LUCKYkason
Summary: Kyoko has been harassed and taken advantage of by jealous women inside the company. Kyoko doesn't understand why they would think Ren paying any mind to her is something to be jealous over. He's just her sempai. Right? I don't own Skip Beat or characters.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my very first fanfiction! Please review if you might be so kind. Constructive criticism is welcome as well as encouragement. I'm sorry the first chapter is so short, the chapters do get longer however. **

**I do not own Skip Beat! or any of its characters, or anything else having to do with it. Thank you! -Kason**

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"Hors d'oeurve?" Kyoko asked, carrying a large round tray through crowds of people. Wearing her neon pink "LoveMe" suit, she stood out and provoked not-so-occasional snickers from those who passed by. She felt ridiculous, like the ugly duckling being harassed by swans.**

Her assignment had been simple enough—offer appetizers to the guests at Ms. Kiyo's little "get together", as she called it. At first Kyoko thought that this woman must have just wanted to use someone from LoveMe as free labor. After she arrived at the party, she also saw another reason for being specifically chosen out of the LoveMe section.

Many actresses in LME had begun to notice a recurring sight that had bothered them. The sight of the newbie actress Kyoko who seemed constantly around the revered and much sought after Ren Tsuruga. It seemed that recently, the women who had simply been disinterested and ignorant in Kyoko before had now come to taking a special interest in trying to humiliate the girl in front of him, being outright rude to Kyoko and giving her as many belittling jobs as possible.

After seeing Ren at the party, the fact that she had been made once again dawned on her, and Kyoko suddenly felt worn out. Balancing all the new LoveMe assignments, and her acting in _DarkMoon,_ _Box R, _and as "Bo",along with keeping up with her schoolwork, there hadn't been much downtime for her. The dark rings around her eyes were proof of that.

_These girls are harassing me for something that is non-existent! _Kyoko thought, a fire sparking inside her. _Tsuruga-san is my sempai! Nothing more! He is always helping me because he feels responsible and is a good person! _She seethed. The reoccurring situations reminded her of how she was treated in school as a child because of how much attention she received from Sho. Kyoko's face contorted into a look of sheer rage.

Seeing a man eyeing her appetizers, Kyoko held her tray out to him asking, "HORS D'OEURVE?" The man shrieked, cringing and sinking back into the crowd as grudges floated around his body.

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**The Next chapter is longer :) This I just needed for my intro. Thank you for reading. -Kason**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about my first chapter, I didn't quite know what I was doing when uploading… this is my very first fanfiction. Anyways, this story could go just about anywhere, and if I can manage to finish it I hope you're all happy with the results! I don't own Skip Beat! Or any of it's marvelous characters. Or anything else having to do with it. Thanks!**

"Mogami-san?" a voice directly next to her startled her.

Ren had been watching her for awhile now, and after seeing the expression she was making at the moment, he couldn't help but intervene in her thoughts. There was no doubt in his mind of just who she was thinking about.

Kyoko blushed profusely. In truth, she had hoped he would not see her. She felt like an idiot, walking through crowds of beautifully dressed people in her bright pink work uniform.

"Somehow, it seems, wherever you do a job at is a place where I am," he said, chuckling. Not that it bothered him at all to have her so close by. "It couldn't be that you're following me," he teased.

"Absolutely not," was her immediate response, her face seemingly made of stone at the moment. Ren sighed. _It never hurts to try._ "J-just coincidence," she lied, not looking him in the eye. She would _never _in her life tell him the reason behind being near him so often.

Suddenly Kyoko felt a hard shove from behind. Dropping her appetizers, Kyoko stumbled and hit the ground. The girl who had shoved her now spilled her drink over Kyoko's head and fell down herself.

"OW!" The girl yelled, clasping her ankle. "You should really watch where your loitering, girl, and do your job!"

Kyoko's aura turned dark momentarily, the beverage running down her face. She clasped her hand on her shoulder and the demons were suppressed for the time being. She quickly erased the expression as if it had never been there, stood, and speedily apologized to the guest. She tried to help her up, but her hands were slapped away.

Ren, keeping to his gentlemanly reputation, helped the girl up and made sure she was alright before turning around to find Kyoko. But she had already gone away from the scene after scraping the appetizers off of the floor.

**Sorry for the short chapters. I will strive to make them longer. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm pretty pleased at this chapter's length compared to the others. I'm having some trouble organizing my thoughts though, and I have to be careful when I write Kyoko's character and breakdown since it's hard to predict how she'd actually respond—any critique and comment is very much appreciated, I never realized how much encouragement from reviews helps with the writer's overall morale and drive for this story! Thank you guys!  
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In the bathroom, Kyoko splashed water on her face to be rid of the smell of alcohol. Her clothes were another matter. The wine would remain a dark purple stain, and would not be coming out. Her knees were bruised from the fall, the right one beginning to swell, and her hands stung from where they had slapped the ground.

She was a mess, and she knew that she would be getting a negative fifteen on the assignment. Again. Kyoko had been only given low scores in the past few weeks. If the ladies attempts at setting her up for disaster did not work, and she was able to get through the assignment, they would still give her a zero, even if it meant making something up that she did wrong.

Kyoko left the bathroom and started for the doors. She was not one to give up, but it wouldn't matter. She would not have a hope at a good score today, and the party was almost through as it was. She just wanted to go home and sleep. Food was only a luxury if she could at least sleep.

"Mogami-san!" Ren called. He had finally spotted her by the doors. She turned to look at him, and he was shocked. Her eyes seemed lifeless and she seemed beaten, and on the verge of tears. There was still fire behind them, however, but this fire was more of frustration than anything. Like she was confronted with a foe she was forced to admit defeat to, but would never actually say so.

"Tsuruga-san," she acknowledged him. "I'm very sorry for my mistake earlier. I should have been working instead of talking, and you were even kind enough to help that girl," she said, opening the door and stepping outside. There was no enthusiasm in her words, like she truly did not feel what she was saying, and didn't even have the energy to care that it showed.

Kyoko got out of bed the next day feeling only slightly more energetic than the previous day. She headed into the bathroom to ready herself for the day.

Today there was only a photo shoot for _Dark Moon_, and some bit parts with Natsu that the director wanted to work over again. Kyoko didn't have to take many takes to get a part right, so they were ahead of schedule where she was concerned.

Kyoko looked at her reflection in the mirror. The dark circles around her eyes were uglier than ever, but luckily that wouldn't be a problem for the role of Mio. Natsu on the other hand had to be healthy, and it had taken more and more make-up to try to cover for the exhaustion. People on both sets told her she needed to take better care of herself, noticing her unhealthy weight and dead-beat face. But Kyoko would not drop any jobs and would not accept anything less from herself than perfection, which made the recent failures twice as painful.

"I'm going now," Kyoko called to Taisho and Okami. Before she could leave, Okami approached her with a small box wrapped in cloth that could only be a bento.

"Please eat well today, Kyoko-chan. Taisho and I both have been concerned about you recently." She said, handing her the box and giving her a smile.

Kyoko, with watering eyes, bowed to the woman and said 'thank you' happily. After exchanging farewells, Kyoko stepped outside and went around the side of the building to find her bike where she had left it the night before. Ren would not be picking her up since Kyoko had to be at the shoot earlier than he, so that her scar could be put on.

Kyoko, after unchaining the bike from the rack, rode hurriedly with what little energy she had. It was already a scorching summer morning, and she felt drained from not eating the day before and she felt like the world was slowing around her. Suddenly a child ran out in front of her, and she turned the handle bars quickly to one side, missing the child but flying off of her bike and slamming her skull on the pavement.

A woman, presumably the mother of the child, ran out and grabbed her child, then saw Kyoko. "Oh my goodness!" She shouted, running towards Kyoko.

Kyoko had momentarily lost vision and had lie on the ground, feeling like the ground she laid on was moving. There were voiced that were distant at first, but soon the sounds caught up to her ears and were louder and shrill. The voices hurt her head, but when her vision began to return, she scrambled to her knees immediately. Her head pounded even worse sitting up, her heartbeat pulsed in her ears and she covered them, trying to rid herself of the internal ringing as well as the external. One voice was the child. He was crying and buried his face into his mother's side. The mother's voice was the other.

"I-I… I didn't… is she…?" The child cried.

"No dear, she isn't dead. It's okay, we'll get her to a hospital." The mother responded, soothing the child.

"No!" Kyoko shouted, "I'm fine! Don't worry, I just need to get to work…"

Kyoko's appearance was no so convincing. There were tears welled up in her eyes, blood starting to matte on her scalp and in her hair, the bruises on her knees blackening, and her haggard appearance were enough to make her look half dead.

Kyoko wobbled but stood, but the woman took her arm and insisted she go to the hospital. Kyoko once again refused and pulled her arm free. Noticing her watch for the first time, Kyoko looked at the time and screamed.

_How long could I have been lying there? _Kyoko wondered. _I have to be at the shoot RIGHT NOW. _

And before the lady could take her arm again, Kyoko was off, abandoning her

badly dented bike. 

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Ok, well here's for chapter 3. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, it might take awhile for the next update. The next chapter is almost finished, but I'm just not satisfied with it, so it needs time for tweaking. Probably won't get to it till after finals, meaning after Christmas. Possibly Christmas break. Thank you all for your reviews, please don't hesitate to call me out on mistakes! **

**Ch. 4**

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When Kyoko arrived to the shoot, everyone was already there. Including Ren. Kyoko wondered if anyone had tried to get a hold of her, and quickly took out her phone and glanced at it. Five missed calls. _Great, _she thought sardonically.

"Kyoko! Where have you been all-" Yukihito Yashiro, who had been the first one to notice her presence, started to speak but stopped upon actually seeing Kyoko close-up.

Seeing the look of concern on the manager's face, Kyoko quickly assured him she was as fine and fit as ever. "Besides, with my wig, the injury won't be seen. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to have make-up done now." Kyoko finished and bowed quickly when she noticed Ren approaching. She quickly took off towards the dressing rooms without a word.

"Was the Mogami-san I just saw? Where has she been?" Ren asked his manager, the slightest hint of worry showing through in his voice.

"I don't know, but… she doesn't look so good, Ren. Maybe you could, you know, check up one her?" Yashiro teased, making light of Kyoko's situation for the sake of Ren's pathetic love live.

Ren suspected that Yashiro had some sort of dark power that allowed him to twist any sort of situation into one that involved Kyoko, no matter how obscure. Recently more than ever he pushed and prodded Ren to take advantage of all the LoveMe work Kyoko did with him, saying it was "destiny" and that he should make the best out of all of the opportunities given to make her his. Ren (although he would NEVER admit it) agreed with him, and had tried.

However, he couldn't help but feel that these experiences were pushing them further apart. Every time he was near her on one of her LoveMe assignments, something seemed to happen that disallowed them from having a conversation. If she wasn't avoiding him while she worked, when he finally did get to approach her, someone would pull her away or scold her for talking with him. Even worse was last time, when she had fallen quite badly and had a drink spilled on her.

Even when she wasn't on a job, she seemed to avoid him. When he tried to talk to her, her eyes would dart around, surveying everyone in the area. Ren was used to many of her odd and amusing antics, but she seemed to be becoming… paranoid, or something. Instead of as Yashiro said, _"these things are a sign from God telling you to go after her!"_ Ren was starting to believe that the Gods were in fact against him.

"Kyoko-chan! What happened to you? You look like you've just been pushed down the stairs and run over a few times!" Kyoko's make-up artist was in an almost resigned state by the time she was finished looking Kyoko over.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko said, her eyes fixed on her shoes. "I kinda got into an accident on the way over here." She said, giving no more explanation than that.

"Kyoko-chan… you need to take better care of yourself. I mean look at you, you're scalp is a bloody mess from a clotted injury, your hair is covered in it too, you have dirt on your face and scrapes on your knees and hands, you're sickly skinny and your skin looks like paper… something is not alright here, Kyoko," the woman said, genuinely concerned.

"Can you cover it up?" Kyoko asked.

"Huh?"

"Can you cover it up?" Kyoko repeated.

"Well…yes, but…"

"Good then. I thank you for you're concern, but, as long as I can stand, I'm going to act. Please take care of me," Kyoko said, putting on her professional face and giving a bow.

After her shoot, Kyoko stood outside the LME building and prepared for the long trek home. Without her bike it would be awful, and Kyoko was over exhausted. Looking down the long avenue, the street lights stood like soldiers in a row, and the lights of the cars moved quickly in whites and reds. Kyoko's vision began to blur as she watched, and, feeling light-headed, began her walk.

It hadn't been long until she knew she needed to rest. Slumping onto a bench, she buckled over her lap and put her head in her hands. Glancing over, she could still see LME, looming over the nearby buildings. _I haven't gotten far at all, _she thought, turning her head back down to face away from the building. _I can't even move. Maybe I could just close my eyes…just for a second… _and slumping lower onto her knees, she sighed deeply.

Suddenly a loud honk broke her from her dreamless sleeping. Sitting up quickly, a pain shot down her back. How long had she been there?

A car was parked in front of her, sleek and silver under the moon on the side of the road. Frantically, she squinted to try and get a look inside.

The car door flew open and out stepped Ren. He didn't look pleased to see her.


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter and the next are set before the harassment began towards Kyoko and when it first began. Thank you alitablake for your suggestion and the inspiration for these chapters! And thank you to those who've been reading this story, you've all given a newbie writer like me the drive to continue it! Please continue to review; I appreciate both the encouraging words and the constructive criticism! Thank you truly. –Kason**

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**-ONE WEEK BEFORE THE PROBLEMS BEGAN- **

Kyoko shivered lightly as she gazed over the treetops that looked as though they might be on fire. Although the limbs were bare, the setting sun was showing its last light behind the trees, casting their long shadows over the crowd.

Lory was hosting another one of his grand parties for all members of the LME crew. From the custodians to the stars themselves, everyone was invited in celebrating the coming of the New Year.

"Are you cold, Mogami-san?" A voice suddenly said from above Kyoko's head. Flinching a bit at the sudden presence so close to her, Kyoko's eyes shot up to see the tall figure of the most famous man in the acting industry giving her a slight smile. Although one half of his face was in shadow, the other was lit up by the warm, orange light of the sun. It shone through his right eye, making it glow a rich hazel and bronze.

_Beautiful,_Kyoko thought, intrigued.

"I looks like she's lost her words looking at you, Ren." Inevitably, Yashiro stood beside Ren, grinning wildly. Snapping out of it, Kyoko blushed and bowed before the two men.

"S-sorry! I was just—a little bit distracted." Kyoko said hastily, standing up and greeting the men.

"Nonsense Yukihito-san, after all, the Fire Fairies are dancing amongst the trees right now. They're quite hard to look away from. Wouldn't you say, Mogami-san?" Ren asked in his most reasonable voice.

Those words said, Kyoko shook her head vigorously up and down and turned back towards the trees, her eyes sparkling and shooting flowers onto unsuspecting passersby. Yashiro sighed and glanced over at Ren, who was still smiling his small, contented smile.

_Mr. no-progress,_ he thought. _How can you look at her that way even though you haven't moved forward with her at all?_He pouted. Sighing again, he thought, _I guess that's a man in love._

Shivering again, Kyoko held the cardigan on her dress tighter around herself. The sun was now almost completely gone, and she could see her breath against the dark sky.

Suddenly warmth enveloped her as she felt a weight placed on her shoulders. Startled, she looked over to see large hands placing a dark coat around her shoulders. "Tsuruga-san, you can't! It's getting really cold now, and you need your coat!" She scolded, shrugging herself out of it and trying to hand it back to him.

"Ren cares about you, Kyoko! He doesn't want you to be cold!" Yashiro said, trying to take advantage of the situation.

"Absolutely not! I will not take your coat from you!" His sideways revealing of Ren's care for her fell on deaf ears as Kyoko tried to forcefully put the coat back onto Ren.

Kyoko grasped Ren's shoulder as she stood on her toes to try and place the coat back onto him. Managing to get one shoulder on, Kyoko pulled her opposing arm over his opposite shoulder to reach around and pull the other shoulder on. He had begun to try to push her away, but when her chin brushed against his chest, he was forced to stop.

Startled at her closeness, Ren realized she had both of her arms wrapped behind his neck as she struggled with his height. It was then that the smell of _her_flooded him, bringing back feelings he hadn't felt so strongly since the night on his kitchen floor. Now he wanted nothing more than to grab onto her and hold her against him. He watched her work, her concentrated effort on what was happening over his shoulder. Her eyes were focused and her forehead was creased slightly, her lips parted, but only a bit. He could see her breath flow out from between them, slowly, mesmerizing him.

His arms had just reached out, fully prepared to encircle her body and pull her in, when her eyes glanced up and locked with his. Realizing what the situation must have looked like between them, Kyoko quickly backed off, her face already turning red. _I know those eyes,_she thought, the warning grudges floating warily behind her. The entire situation had probably lasted not more than a few seconds, but the Emperor of the Night had been awakened.

"Please excuse me!" she yelled, bowing deeply. "I didn't realize what I was doing! I'm sorry for being so impolite to you, Tsuruga-san! Just please, I could not possibly take your coat!"

Ren was silently debating on whether or not to force his coat on her again, hoping for the same response, but decided against his childish idea. _I must be completely out of my mind with desperation,_Ren thought, shaking his head to clear away his "unholy" thoughts.

"But Mogami-san," he reasoned with her, "how would it look for my image if I did not let a shivering young lady wear my coat? I would lose all respect and credibility…"

"Oh," Kyoko said. She looked like she was deep in thought about his explanation. She smiled, a motion that meant she had made up her mind. "In that case, Tsuruga-san, of course I would be glad to wear your coat. But won't you be cold?" she responded, much to Ren's chagrin.

"No, Mogami-san. I'm wearing plenty more under the coat. You're only wearing a small jacket over that dress." He explained. _Of course, she'd only take the coat from me if she thought she was benefiting me somehow. Figures._

Kyoko slid her slender arms through the arms of the jacket and wrapped it around herself. She breathed in deeply, and the smell of Ren was so strong Kyoko thought her knees might give out from under her. She might have pressed it to her face and inhaled more of the alluring scent if said man wasn't standing right in front of her. _There it is again,_Kyoko thought. _Why does Tsuruga-san's smell make me feel so secure, like I could fall asleep?_ Blushing at her own thoughts, she turned her head away to face the now dark silhouettes of the trees.

Ren couldn't help but smile at seeing her standing there, her small frame practically consumed by his winter coat. It stretched down to her ankles and made her look tiny and vulnerable. His smile broadened.

Yashiro, who had witnessed the entire encounter, was still standing with his fists clenched in front of him in a silent cheer of excitement and anticipation. _Ren, you dog! It's obvious what you were about to do! And in public, nonetheless,_Yashiro thought blushing. The sinister smile was already spreading across his face. Ren glanced over and, noticing, he sighed. He was going to hear it from him later. _Oh yes you are, Ren. I saw it all._

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From the edge of the crowed, a small group of women were watching as well. The five of them hadn't missed a thing, from the facial expressions and interaction to the conversation.

"Who _is_that scrawny bitch?" one of them asked.

Looking closer, another one gasped a bit and said, "Isn't she one from the Christmas Party?"

"You mean the Thank-you or whatever party? I remember hearing about it. I wasn't invited, though." A third said.

"Yes, I'm sure it's her," the second girl said. "That means she's also "Natsu" from "Box R". I play one of the students in the class in "Box R", so I was invited to that party. I'd never seen her not in role before then, though, so it came as a shock that she actually looks like that. I'm sure it's the same girl," she said.

"_That_girl plays _Natsu?_" Another woman exclaimed in surprise. "_How?_"

"That's what they call movie magic, I guess. Enough make-up, and you can even make an ugly bitch like that one look like "Natsu"." The second chimed in again. They all failed to mention the obvious talent it took to play out her sort of "Natsu" in the first place. Conveniently. "But that's not all," she continued. "That night, Tsuruga gave her a rose. I guess it was her birthday, too. You should have seen the look on her face, it practically screamed, 'Hee hee, I'm so special! Ren is treating me so nice, he thinks I am!'"

"NOT!" another girl yelled, and that made them all laugh.

"All she is is a slut that thinks she can rub herself all over Tsuruga just because he treats her a little nice. He treats everyone like that, anyways. She's just getting an inflated head about it. She should know her place."

"Yeah, did you see her? Putting her arms around Ren like that, and then acting like it was all an accident. He's far to nice to actually push someone away. He shouldn't have even let her borrow his coat after what she was obviously trying to pull. Just shows how good a person he is."

"Exactly, we shouldn't let a whore like that try and take advantage of him, right? We could do him a favor since he will never actually say anything to her!"

The excitement was building as they talked amongst themselves, plans already forming between them. Choosing to completely ignore the looks Ren gave her and the way he treated her, they focused their attention solely on the unsuspecting Kyoko, who all the while was talking to Ren enthusiastically, still wrapped in his coat.

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**I've decided at the end of every chapter I'm going to write the problem I've had most while writing it and ask for reviews pertaining to the issue! This chapter I've found that names are a bit confusing, I wonder about using honorifics when talking**_**about**_**someone? Would it be the same as the honorifics used when talking to the person? I'd guess if you really respected the person you were referring to, you'd use honorifics even when they aren't around. Please tell me if I've had any other issues with the names that you notice. Secondly, I'd like to let you know that I'm undecided about the Cain-Setsu situation. I highly doubt I'm going to put it into the story, and if I am it would just be to mention it. But who knows, right? Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6**

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**-WHEN THE PROBLEMS BEGAN-**

Riding her bike, Kyoko swiftly made her way down the street leading away from LME. She glanced at her watch. _I should be alright if I keep this pace,_she thought, pushing the bike just a bit faster.

Kyoko had been given a job through LoveMe that needed to be completed in just twenty minutes, and she wasn't planning on failing.

"I'm so sorry, but my friend needs to receive this package as soon as possible, and it's terribly important." The woman had said, looking pleadingly at Kyoko and handing her a ridiculously heavy box for its size. Kyoko's grudges were tied to her head and smiled gleefully as they reached out towards the woman.

As her grudges whispered something about hate and malice, Kyoko wondered who this woman was and what her intentions were. _But she seems so nice,_Kyoko thought. _Maybe she's mad about something else? She must be a really great person to be as upset as she is, yet keep her composure and not show it while talking to others._

Glancing down at her hand, Kyoko once again examined the small slip of paper that she clutched against the handlebar. It had the address of her destination on it—a road she had been on once or twice before. If she remembered its location correctly and rode quickly, she could arrive there within the given time limit.

Kyoko shivered lightly as she approached the road that the paper addressed. Looking up, the horizon line was overcast with bulging, dark clouds, They approached swiftly, and Kyoko hurried on, searching the building numbers for the one shown on the written address.

After five minutes had passed, Kyoko had only five left to spare, and was starting to panic. She had gone all the way down the road, but there had been no matching address number.

_And it looks like those clouds are going to blow soon. I don't want to be out here when that happens, but I have to find this address._Kyoko thought, as sheet lightning filled the darkening sky and made the world above her mumble its warnings of arrival. The swollen clouds loomed overhead, waiting for the right moment to release.

Kyoko rode on. She was becoming frantic, realizing that her time must almost be up if it wasn't already. The package, which she had strapped to the handlebars of her bike, she now held with one hand against her as the first large raindrop hit her forehead heavily.

Soon Kyoko was completely soaked, but despite her aching arm and shoulder from the terrible weight, she still clung to the package in an effort to keep it semi-dry. Abandoning her bicycle, she ran from doorstep to doorstep, knocking and asking if anyone knew the address she was looking for.

'We're sorry,' they all said, closing their doors. Kyoko was now at least an hour over the deadline. She was considering giving up when one particular house inhabitant said, "Miss, I don't think there is such an address on this street," the woman said with a pitying look on her face as she examined first the badly smeared ink of the written address, and then Kyoko.

"What?" Kyoko responded dumbly. "There's no way that can be true. I was given specific instruction to deliver this package to _that_ address. Is there some other road with the same name as this?" Kyoko asked.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, shaking her head. "I think there must have been some mistake. It wasn't your fault, dear. You should go home and get yourself dry and warm now—there isn't anything you can do, and you look as if you might fall over from exhaustion at any time. You'll certainly get sick if you remain outside at night in these conditions, and it wet clothes for that matter."

Thanking the woman for her sympathies, Kyoko left the doorstep and walked slowly back to her bike, still cradling the package in her arms as the rain turned the gutters into rivers along the sidewalk.

Climbing back on to her bike, Kyoko headed home, feeling tired, cold and defeated. Her nose ran, and the rain felt like ice as it reached her scalp through her thick hair and ran down her neck and back.

Turning the corner where the Daruma-ya would finally come into view, the bike suddenly lost traction and slid sideways, sending Kyoko and the box falling to the ground. The package landed heavily on Kyoko like a punch to the stomach, and combined with the impact of hitting the ground, knocked the wind from Kyoko's lungs. She was left lying in a puddle, gasping for breath for a few minutes as one hand clawed vainly against the ground, as if pulling in some sort of relief as she tried to fill her lungs again.

"Kyoko-san!" she heard a voice say, and a figure crouched over her. "Kyoko-san," the man repeated, placing himself on his knees and pulling her into his arms so she would not be lying on the wet cement in the puddle.

Straining her neck away from him to look for the package, she saw it lying in the puddle still. Its contents had burst the cardboard and Kyoko suddenly felt despair course through her, all the way to her numb toes.

The package's contents revealed, four bricks were now visible to Kyoko's eyes, thrown carelessly from their container. Her eyes, following their trail, settled on a small white post-it note that now floated half-drowned in the puddle. "New Year's present for you. Resolve to not to be a manipulating whore, bitch."

"Taisho-san," Kyoko cried quietly, covering her face with balled fists. That was the only thing she said. She clenched her jaw and grimaced, tangling her fingers in her bangs in her frustration, rage, and helpless despair.

Realizing she was not going to speak again, Taisho told her, "I'm here, Kyoko-san." He had quietly examined Kyoko and the box with its contents, which seemed to be the source of Kyoko's anguish. He got the picture.

Turning around, he pulled Kyoko's exhausted frame onto his back and picked her bicycle up, wheeling it home beside them.

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**That's it for the flashback chapters, now onto the story where we left off! If you remember, Ren found Kyoko on a bench asleep and did not seem happy with her. Now, for my questions—I'm really confused about how to refer to the restaurant owners of the Daruma-ya, Kyoko's landlords. I know 'Okami-san' means something like 'The Manageress' (according to wikipedia) so when I write about her not in dialogue, should I refer to her as 'The Okami-san' or just 'Okami-san'? And in dialogue, I figure people will call her simply 'Okami-san' (correct me if I am wrong, please). Also, Taisho-san? I'm thinking that that's just his name, not a title? But I have no idea, I don't remember ever hearing either of their full names in the story, so for all I know they are both titles. I would like to know how to refer to him in dialogue and out of dialogue. If anyone has any ideas or answers for me, they would be greatly appreciated to improve my story****Thank you. -Kason**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7 **

**Here is the continuation from where the current story left off in chapter four.**

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Ren quickly closed the distance between them and bent down to be at eye level with her.

"What are you doing out here, Mogami-san? Sleeping?" His eyes looked cold and sharp, and his words more so.

"I-I dunno, I was just walking home! I just needed to sit for a bit is all." Kyoko hoped he hadn't been sitting in his car for too long, or else he might already know she had been asleep for awhile. Her watch told her it was eleven o'clock, about an hour since she started her walk home.

Ren's eyes became even sharper, and his words were like ice stalactites. He stood up. Gripping her slender arm, he pulled her from the bench and, moving quickly, he opened the passenger side door. "Get in."

He said it harshly and Kyoko knew there was no debating allowed this time. Besides, she was so tired, she would have gladly taken the ride earlier. Driving home in silence, she could tell that Ren was more than pissed. Even so, in her current state, her grudges were too weak to be roused.

Pulling up outside the Daruma-ya, Ren shut off the car. _Not a good sign, _Kyoko thought. "Um, Tsuruga-san-"

"Mogami-san." Ren looked over at her. More like, he was looking down on her.

The spark that was still left in Kyoko made her want to dive into her usual dogeza crouching bow. But she stayed still, fearing he might just light her on fire with his eyes, what with the way he was glaring at her.

"What has gotten into you lately?" He said. "You came to work with various injuries, not to mention that bump on your head," Kyoko was taken aback and quickly reached up to feel the bump that had formed from her earlier accident. The wig had covered it for the Dark Moon shoot, but now it was exposed. "As for your obvious lack of sleep and ridiculous weight loss, since when have you stopped taking care of your own body?"

"I've—I've just been busy lately, that's all!" she said, putting on her most convincing, frantic smile. "Work has been hectic, and you know better than anyone else how hard it can be to find time for a proper meal! Ahaha, I didn't realize it was so noticeable, but really I'm feeling just fine. Today was just an especially busy day, and I forgot my bike…" she trailed off. _Why am I still talking? _She wondered. _Why do I need to explain myself to him? It's none of his business, really. Besides, there are lots of actresses who are skinnier than me! Moko-san, for example!_

On the other hand… _maybe he feels like it has to be his business since I'm his kohai! He feels responsibl_e _if he thinks there's something wrong with me! _

Kyoko opened her mouth to speak words that would relieve his fears, that would tell him that he _wasn't _responsible. But suddenly there was another voice in her head, a darker and more melancholy voice, that said, _But that isn't right, is it?_

Kyoko suddenly could not get the words she was about to say to come out of her mouth, and her mouth simply remained open. Frozen, the voice continued to speak to her.

_But it_ is _his responsibility, isn't it? It's all his fault this happened to you. He _should _feel bad. Isn't it just like your childhood with Sho? How all those girls bullied you when you were young because of him... isn't this like a forewarning? Look at you, blinded just as easily as you were then. And you've claimed that you've grown, that you'll never be fooled again! Ha! Just wait…the same thing is going to happen. _

"Mogami-san." Ren said for the second time, "you looked like you were about to say something." Her mouth had shut and now she was staring, as if frozen, at his face. But it didn't seem like she was seeing him, or hearing him for that matter.

_No no! _Kyoko thought, shaking her head. _This IS NOT like that time! Sho wasn't a good person, and Tsuruga-san definitely is! He would never find satisfaction out of knowing that women were bullying me because they like him, like Shotaro did! Even if this did happen because of him, he isn't the one I should be angry at. I am definitely going to make sure that Tsuruga-san's fears are relieved and that he doesn't worry about me any more! _

With new resolve by having made her decision, she finally spoke.

"Tsuruga-san, you really don't have to worry about me." She said, coming to the conclusion she believed was the correct one.

Ren raised his eyebrows. "Why's that, Mogami-san? You're appearance doesn't convince me of that." He had been startled when she suddenly began to speak, but now schooled his expression and continued with their previous conversation.

"Just stop, Tsuruga-san. You can just stop making me your business, stop concerning yourself with the trivial issues I might be having and concentrate on _your _job! Don't worry, I've been taking care of myself for awhile, you don't need to!"

The oblivious Kyoko did not notice the various stab wounds she was hacking into Ren's chest as she was saying the words she thought would make him feel like he didn't have to bear her as a burden.

The words had instead come out in the opposite way. _Translating…_Ren thought.

"_Stop, Tsuruga-san. This is none of your business. My life doesn't concern you, so get out of it and concentrate on _your _job, not mine. I don't need you." _

Just when Kyoko was feeling encouraged that this was the right thing to say, Ren's face went completely cold and his eyes piercing, even moreso than before. Kyoko's face wilted. _What did I say wrong? _She wondered.

"Fine," he said. "I won't concern myself with you anymore. I'm sorry I worried about someone I thought was a friend. I didn't realize you wouldn't be grateful and instead think I was shoving into your business." Reaching over her, he opened her door.

Startled, Kyoko began to respond, suddenly realizing he might have misinterpreted her intention. "Wait, Tsuruga-san, I-"

"Get out." He said. Scrambling out, she tried to explain.

"But I just thou—"

"Goodnight, Mogami-san." And with that, he shut the door and drove off. Kyoko stood on the curb for a few moments afterward, alone, and feeling even more isolated than before.

_See? I told you so. _

_

* * *

_

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and answers to my questions concerning names and titles! This chapter was a bit difficult to pull together fluidly, so I hope it didn't sound unnatural or too OOC. I don't have any specific questions for this chapter other than 'how am I doing?' which is generally what reviews are for in the first place. Thank you very much for reading my first fanfiction! -Kason**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! The new chapter is up at long last, so I'm very sorry for the wait (even though I know you've heard this all before from every fanfiction writer) but ya know, life happens. Once again, I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's wonderful characters. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think!**

* * *

Taisho watched Kyoko take a few steps forward, as if she was planning to chase after the car that had left her as abruptly as it had stopped to drop her off. He watched her silhouette against the street lights, and saw her shoulders sag. Her arms, previously outstretched towards the car, returned to her side. He couldn't help but think, _She looks so small._

But it wasn't just her posture and her mood that made her look small at that moment—there was the noticeable difference in her physical appearance, too. Her once healthy and slender shape had become scrawny, and the pinkish glow of her skin had faded. Even the sharp, fiery look she always kept in her eyes had dimmed to be replaced by gauntness and apathy.

After the incident a few weeks back with the package in the rain, Taisho had watched Kyoko very closely. On occasion, he would prepare her supplementary meals to take with her to work, and although she would accept after some convincing, her appearance hadn't seemed to change. Perhaps whoever was treating Kyoko this way had interfered with those meals, as well.

Although Kyoko would never talk about it, and when asked she would say that things were fine, Taisho began to connect dots. Slowly but surely, he had learned the truth about what was happening to Kyoko—but the biggest clue was the note from the package. After consulting his wife about it and the contents of the package, her expression darkened, and she covered her mouth and looked as if she was about to be sick.

"Kyoko is being bullied," she had said, "and in my opinion, this is a pretty extreme case. Something needs to be done, dear. But I just don't know what we can do for her besides support her…"

Washing the dishes, Taisho tried to come up with a solution. From his position, he could see Kyoko, still standing on the sidewalk, as if hoping the car would return. He suddenly stopped scrubbing and froze. _She's crying, isn't she? _he realized. _And she won't come in until she's done. She won't want to worry us, even now. Why didn't I realize? _

Abandoning the dish, Taisho swiftly walked between tables and out the front door.

Approaching quietly, he came to a halt beside her. Gazing out at the street as she was, they stood side by side, neither saying a word. Stealing a glance down at the small girl beside him, he could see the tears in her eyes. But her expression is what startled him the most.

_I'm tired,_ it said. _I'm so tired, so tired._

There was no expression on Kyoko's face. Just a hollow and exhausted stare.

Taisho looked back at the street and glared. _They did that because of him,_ he thought. _Woman are hurting Kyoko because of him, and he turns around and breaks her strength further. And all this time, she just wanted to protect __**him. **_

His eyes narrowed even more, and he suddenly wanted to find that man, celebrity or not, and tell him exactly what he did. He knew that Kyoko would be upset if that man, Tsuruga, found out. But Taisho still wished he could tell him, make him regret the pain he caused Kyoko, make him suffer. If he had had his knife in his hands at that moment, he would have felt worlds more comfortable as he polished and sharpened its surface.

_But you are truly an idiot. How could you not have realized that on your own? That _you _are the cause of her suffering? You could stop it. _ Taisho thought, but sighed when he realized that he might not have realized if it hadn't been for his wife's women's intuition.

"Taisho-san," he suddenly heard the small voice at his side say. "I don't know what to do, Taisho-san."

He glanced back at her again, and her fists had balled until she was white at the knuckles. Biting her lower lip slightly, her eyes had narrowed, as if she was trying to find the answer to a very difficult question but was could not, no matter how hard she strained herself.

"I want to fight them…I don't want to lose. But I don't know _how _to win…I don't even know how to fight, in this game." She said. She stood quietly after that, and her face changed every now and then—from driven to exhausted again, and then to driven, but was always short lived.

"I guess…this could be the end." She said after a while longer. "If he hates me, he won't try to spend any more time with me. The women will be satisfied with that…"

Taisho felt his heart tighten painfully for the girl. In his opinion, that asshole of an actor didn't deserve to have Kyoko by his side to begin with. But, his opinion aside, he knew by how Kyoko talked about him—she cared deeply for the man. And saying those words—saying that she would let him go, being pushed to that point—must have been truly crushing for her. And yet, she didn't speak as if she was satisfied with that answer—letting them beat her, even in her current state. So putting his opinions aside, he placed a hand on her head and rubbed comfortingly.

"You don't really want to have it end that way, do you?" he said, still staring at the street. After awhile with no response but soft sniffling, he began again. "Do you remember when I loaned you my knife?"

He felt her head nod under his hand and she said, "Yes, for the acting try outs."

"I loaned you my knife because I truly believed that you could succeed. And I still do, Kyoko-san." He said.

"Yeah, but this and that are…"

"No, not really," he interrupted her. "The situation is the same as that white radish."

"Huh?" she seemed confused.

"All you need is the right kind of knife, right? And you can turn any radish into a rose." He said, smiling and glancing at her again.

She smiled wryly. "Yeah," she nodded, "but who's gonna turn _me _into a rose?"

* * *

The next day was a Sunday, the only day of the week that the Daruma-ya was closed. "Sorry about this, Taisho-san…usually Tsuruga-san would give me a ride on the days where our schedules are similar, which is Sundays and Wednesdays, but he won't come today…usually he gives me a call to let me know that he can pick me up. He didn't do that, so I'm assuming he's not picking me up after what happened last night…"

Kyoko was finishing up serving the morning guests and was about ready to change for work at LME. Taisho watched her, murmuring his "your welcome" for the ride to work and studying her face. He was glad he hadn't spoken his mind about his feelings towards the actor Ren Tsuruga. Despite Kyoko's talk of how it would be better if he hated her, he could see clearly now that that wasn't what she wanted at all.

Kyoko headed upstairs to change, and Taisho was cleaning up after the last guest when he saw the car pull up. Silver and sleek, he knew who was driving it right away.

"Kyoko-san?" Taisho called upstairs.

"Yes?" Her distant voice called back.

"I'm going to go take out the trash, so stay up there until I come and get you. Then I'll be ready to take you. I won't be long."

"…? Okay?" He could hear the confusion in her voice, but he was already headed for the front door. _Yeah, this shouldn't take long at all, _he thought.

* * *

Taisho walked swiftly towards the street, not even looking at the car. He wanted to catch the man off guard. As he was about to pass the car, he quickly reached and grabbed the door handle, and after wrenching it open he slid inside the passenger's seat.

Ren, caught completely off guard, sat stunned for a moment before giving the man his most gentlemanly smile.

"Can I help you?" He asked, shining.

"Maybe you can. Or maybe you'll just be ignorant and mess everything up." Taisho said in a low voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ren was obviously confused.

"I'm talking about Kyoko-san," Taisho said, drilling his eyes into Ren's.

Ren's face got immediately serious. His smile left and his eyes pierced Taisho's right back.

"Mogami-san is not willing to tell me. If she doesn't tell me, then there's nothing I can do for her."

"Yes, there is. You're just not doing anything at all. You can either support her, or you can stop being around her all together. There is no in between, and she deserves more than your lukewarm kindness and half-hearted support. Not to mention the way you treated her yesterday. The way you treated an already obviously hurt girl."

Ren's eyes flashed momentarily with intense guilt, and then they returned to normal, like the emotion wasn't there at all. His eyes narrowed at the man in the seat beside him as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"I have done nothing but support Mogami-san since the beginning, but last night I was frustrated because she would not tell me what's wrong. I don't need to explain myself to you, but in my opinion, you're giving her less credit than she deserves. Mogami-san, if anything, is strong. She can take care of most of her own problems, despite me trying to push my nose in, as I would love to." He finished.

"And you still don't get it," Taisho said. "Maybe she can take care of her problems, but what if this problem is not hers?" He asked. "Did you ever stop to think of the reason why she won't tell you anything that's been happening? No matter how hard you tried?"

Ren, whose impatience was waning, had opened his mouth to respond until he heard the last part. He shut his mouth and seemed to think for a moment.

"If you'd stop throwing yourself a pity-party for her not telling you, taking it out on her and storming off, and then maybe _think _a little, you could actually do something for her," Taisho continued.

"Well…usually I can get her to talk fairly easily. But her condition is pretty extreme…her manner, energy level, and even her appearance right now…I can't even imagine what's going on, and she _is_ being more tight lipped about this than anything else before." He stopped again, and then continued a few moments later. "But what you're saying…it sounds like you're saying that this might have something to do with me, too. Do you know what's going on with her?"

It was at that point that Taisho opened the car door and stepped out.

"Ah, wait-!" Ren shouted, but before Taisho shut the door, he leaned down and said,

"If you want to support her, you'd find out what was wrong yourself instead of getting it out of Kyoko-san. Forcing it out of her will probably only crush her more. Like I said, support her, or leave her, Tsuruga." And with that, Taisho shut the door on the wide-eyed actor and walked back into the restaurant.

* * *

"Kyoko-san, there's a car out front for you." Okami called, standing at the base of the stairs. Taisho had already gone back to cleaning up.

Kyoko, with a shocked expression on her face, came running down the stairs and stopped to face the door of the restaurant, where she could see the familiar sleek car that was Ren's. Her gaze then turned to Taisho. He was not looking at her.

"Um, I'm sorry, Taisho-san," she murmured. Upon hearing her voice, Taisho glanced over at her. He nodded to her and then looked back out at the car for a moment, before going back to his work.

"Don't worry about him, Kyoko-san. He's fine." Okami smiled as she walked over to help her husband. Kyoko smiled slightly too and as she began to move towards the door, she heard Taisho's voice.

"Wait," he said. Glancing back, Kyoko saw him holding out to her a bento with his pointer and index finger. Kyoko smiled and took the bento, which had been common from him these days.

"Thank you, Taisho-san. Thank you, for everything." She said. Her only response was a small grunt from him as he continued cleaning. Her heart was warmed by the people here, and she hoped she could carry some of that warmth out with her as she headed to face the man she both feared and hoped to see most.

* * *

**Alright! There it is! I've had a couple reviews asking where Moko fits in, and honestly I'm not quite sure-I've had several ideas running through my head about that, but at this point I need to start thinking of a resolution to this story, because it looks like it's been spiraling downwards long enough :) As for Taisho, I was pretty uncomfortable with him in this chapter-he was way more talkative to Ren than I would have liked him to be, since he's not portrayed as talkative at all in the manga. But that 's kinda just how it turned out...so I'm sorry for the OOC. I've always liked Taisho as a character, he always seemed to understand and accept Kyoko a lot more than many others, even her crazyness, by just observation alone. But of course, Kyoko is still a girl, and there are some things that girls would catch on to faster than men, which is where Okami comes in. All in all, I hoped you liked the chapter and I'll keep plodding away at it as the inspiration comes to me. Thank you sincerely for reading!**

-Kason


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